IACP Leadership in Crime Prevention Award
The IACP Leadership in Crime Prevention Award recognizes innovative, data-driven, low-cost and high-impact crime prevention programs.
The 2024 award nomination period is now closed. Complete the 2025 Awards Interest Form to receive information as it becomes available.
Programs recognized for this award should exemplify effective crime reduction strategies and specific measures of success. Agencies must demonstrate how their crime prevention program builds community trust and increases community engagement.
For further information, contact [email protected].
2024 Winner
Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City, Mexico
“Alto al Fuego”, or Ceasefire, is a police program implemented in Mexico City, that focuses on reducing and preventing violent crimes, particularly those involving firearms, through targeted police interventions in communities with high rates of such incidents. Launched in January 2020, the program addresses firearm violence, recidivism, and strained relations between police and communities in specific urban sectors. Since its inception, Ceasefire has demonstrated tangible results, notably reducing violence by 20% to 30% and homicides by more than 50% in the areas where it operates. Additionally, the program has supported numerous community members in breaking cycles of violence and retaliation. By fostering stronger ties between the public and the police, it enables communities to collaborate in identifying and addressing the individuals and gangs responsible for much of the violence. Today, Ceasefire is the flagship program of the Mexico City Police Department, representing a significant effort to prevent crime and restore social cohesion in the capital.
2023 Winner
Ajman Police General Headquarters, United Arab Emirates
The Ajman Police General Headquarters developed the Regret Initiative in 2018 after they noticed the high recidivism rate. The team began working on sessions with those who had been sentenced for drug and theft cases. The program worked with these individuals to help determine what had caused them to commit a crime and eventually be convicted of a crime and sentenced. The causes and treatment were determined and have had a role in positively changing the individuals’ attitudes and ideas, helping to ensure they do not re-offend. The program focused on how to ensure it was a sustainable program by initiating the Amal initiative with strategic partners. This assisted those reentering the community to gain licenses and employment. While doing this, the police department launched community awareness initiatives to provide information for those facing challenges. The reduction in recidivism and lowering of crime has helped to build trust within the communities they serve.
2022 Winner
Rajnandgaon Police, District of Chhattisgarh, India
Nijaat (meaning riddance) is a three-step strategy composed of enforcement, awareness, and counseling with the goal of a drug addiction free Rajnandgaon, district of Chhattisgarh. The program started in January 2022 in collaboration with multiple organizations. Since January, the program has resulted in numerous arrests and convictions for various crimes. In addition to the enforcement aspect, the Rajnandaon Police started an outdoor counseling program. By collaborating with medical personnel, they are able to provide quality counseling to individuals within the community. The Rajnandgaon Police focused on educating their officers on drug addiction and its negative impact on the community.
2021 Winner
Denver Police Department
The Denver Police Department, in collaboration with the Mental Health Center of Denver and the Denver Crime Prevention and Control Commission, partnered to launch an ambitious co-responder pilot program. The co-responder program pairs licensed professional behavioral health clinicians with police officers to respond to calls involving people experiencing behavioral health issues and/or co-occurring substance use issues. A co-responder team is dispatched when weapons, threats, or safety issues are involved so that an officer is present to help address any safety issues. These programs are part of a comprehensive approach to increasing safety in the community, addressing individual and community needs with immediate action and long-term support to promote stabilization, access to resources, and strategic utilization of resources through cross-system and cross-discipline public, private, and community coordination and collaboration to ensure flexibility, and the right response in the place, at the right time.
2020 Winner
Thames Valley Police, United Kingdom
As an active university town that also has a vibrant nighttime economy, Oxford and the Thames Valley Police have experienced an increasing challenge in sex crimes. The cross section of students and frequent out of town travelers has led to many incidences of sexual violence that have attracted media attention and been detrimental on the community’s trust of police. The Thames Valley Police have adapted their current role to include developing crime prevention strategies to protect their community. In June 2019, Project Vigilant was set up to specifically target sexual violence in the community. The program was offender focused and included a variety of tactics such as proactive patrols, covert officers, making stops of suspicious persons, leveraging body worn cameras and surveillance videos, investigating all sexual offenses, supporting victims of abuse, and working with the bars and clubs to help identify and take action against sexual predation. By October 2019, Project Vigilant, along with a strong media campaign, helped reduce sexual assaults by 40% and rape by 60%.
2019 Winner
Round Rock, Texas, Police Department
With a heavy increase in online shopping, homes with packages out front have become readily available and easy targets for thieves. The Round Rock Police Department (RRPD) has come up with a unique way to combat this issue, Operation Front Porch, providing the community with an option to ship packages to the police department. Because of the way the program was organized, the day-to-day operations of the program required minimal work for the department’s civilian staff and no work for sworn officers. Instead, the department relied heavily on volunteers to log and distribute packages. In Round Rock, reports of package theft in December rose each year from 2014 (4) to 2015 (8) to 2016 (13). In 2017, the first year of the program, thefts decreased to four. In 2017, approximately 30 packages were delivered during the 22 days RRPD ran the program. In 2018, the community’s use of the program grew to more than 300 packages over 52 days.
